When It Comes to Fitness, Use It or Lose It

Regardless of your athletic or tactical fitness goals, the Overload Principle offers a reliable path to growth. The overload principle, as defined by William Kraemer in the book, "Optimizing Strength Training," is "the principle that underscores the need for greater demands to be placed on the body during successive workouts over time if improvement is to be achieved."

If you have seen muscle growth or performance improvements in your training, you have knowingly or unknowingly encountered the Overload Principle.

Another important fitness principle can be summed up by the phrase "Use It or Lose It." Another principle is "Motion is Lotion" for general health and movement wellness. If you want to avoid getting weaker or losing muscle mass, "Hypertrophy or Atrophy" describes another important fitness principle.

Our muscles, joints, connective tissues and bones require some form of movement regularly. Consistency and daily movement habits are critical for meeting short- and long-term goals. Calisthenics, cardiovascular activity, stretching and moving progressively heavier objects are all ways to exercise the body.

We do these types of movements so we do not lose the necessary foundation of strength, durability, stability, and mental and physical conditioning that we need to be more capable humans. These principles are particularly important when it comes to fitness performance, overall health and wellness.

What Is Your 'Why'?

Why do you exercise? You need a reason as to why you are working hard if you want to be consistent. Is it to look good? Feel good? Live longer? All are great reasons to train yourself. Are you capable of saving yourself in situations that involve walking, running, swimming or carrying yourself and others out of harm's way?

There are so many reasons to be strong and capable or make changes to become such an asset in any natural or man-made situation. For many, becoming and remaining an asset into their later years will be motivation enough to keep moving.

Quite simply, the "Use It or Lose It" principle reminds us that if we don't use something, we will eventually lose it. When it comes to physical fitness, the body is no different than any other machine. If we don't use our bodies, we get rusty, stiff and things do not work as they once did.

As you age, your body's natural ability to recover, rebuild and repair from stress decreases. If you don't continuously challenge yourself, you will start to lose your physical fitness level. This can lead to a decrease in overall health and wellness, and you may reach a point where chronic illnesses start to creep into your daily life.

But here is the good news: It is never too late to start exercising and improving your fitness. Find things that you enjoy and make them a part of your regular routine. If you do not enjoy them, try them again in a different setting.

Maybe you can listen to music or watch a movie for a distraction while riding a stationary bike. Start small and gradually increase your frequency, intensity and duration (another fitness principle). This will help you to stay motivated and ultimately build good habits and discipline, making your fitness easier to maintain so you never have to worry about losing it.

There are many life-saving reasons why maintaining physical activity for the rest of your life is needed, but here are the main health reasons:

• Exercise will help you be more independent as you age and add life to your years.
• Exercise reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome (waist circumference > 35 inches for women and > 40 inches for men); insulin resistance; high blood pressure; high triglycerides; or low levels of HDL, aka "good cholesterol").
• Consistent physical activity can also help reduce the risk of developing diseases like stroke, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer.
• Exercise can reduce the need for medications required to treat symptoms of the above ailments and diseases.

Regardless of your age, it is easy to fall off the wagon and get out of the habit of adding physical activity to your day. However, if you are consistent with your exercise routine, you will be able to keep your body healthy and fit for years to come.

The next time you hear the phrase "use it or lose it," take it to heart and make sure to keep moving regularly even if it is only a short walk and stretch session each day.

Other Related Principles in Fitness

FITT Principle

Frequency of training, Intensity of training sessions, Time per day and days per week, and Type of exercises all make up the FITT principle.

Rest and Recovery Principles

Recovery days, nutrition, sleep and hydration are important pieces for recovery and mitigation of stress. If you do not understand or master recovery, you will not see optimal performance or longevity in your training.

-- Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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